The death toll in the train accident near Gonda in Uttar Pradesh which saw eight coaches of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express derailing, rose to three on Thursday evening, as restoration work got underway.
The dead were identified as Saroj Kumar Singh (31), a resident of Araria in Bihar, Rahul (38) from Chandigarh and one unidentified person, a list released by the Relief Commissioner's office later in the night said.
North Eastern Railway general manager Saumya Mathur told reporters on Friday that the restoration work was underway. "The checking process is being done and within some hours the upline will be restored. We are working to ensure that the entire section gets restored by evening," she added.
The relief and rescue work ended on Thursday evening after authorities deployed teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF).
The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals. "If there is any need for specialised care, we will make it available to them," she said.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Drone visuals from the site where Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express derailed in Gonda yesterday, claiming the lives of 3 people and injuring 30. pic.twitter.com/JJbFn4iIv9
— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2024
Meanwhile, Union minister and local MP Kirti Vardhan Singh visited the accident spot. "Since this train was going to Dibrugarh from Chandigarh, a special train has left from Gorakhpur to carry the passengers to their destination. The train will stop at Mankapur railway station, and buses have been arranged to take passengers to the railway station," Singh told PTI.
He said the railway's technical team would investigate the cause of the accident.
Meanwhile, a special train with 600 passengers of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express left for Assam. The special train left from Mankapur at 20.50 hr for Dibrugarh. The passengers were brought by bus to Mankapur and were served tea, water etc.
The special train will have the same stoppages as the train that met with the accident. Three trains in its area were diverted because of the accident. These trains are the 15707 Katihar-Amritsar Amrapali Express, 15603 Guwahati -Jammu Tawi Amarnath Express and 15910 Lalgarh-Dibrugarh Avadh Assam Express.
